Conventional electrosurgical devices are widely employed by surgeons for cutting and/or coagulating human tissue in operating rooms. They are used in lieu of a conventional blade or knife in situations where bleeding tissue can cause unwanted loss of blood. The basic electrosurgical device consists of a intermediate frequency RF generator with power capability on the order of several hundred watts, driven by approximately 1000 volts or higher. The generator common is connected to a patient pad, upon which a patient lies. The hot lead of the generator is connected via an insulating cable to a conductive shaped end for tissue cutting, called the cutting probe. The shape, for example, could be needle like, circular or flat. It is this conductive end which is employed for tissue cutting. When the conductive end of the generator hot lead is placed in contact with the patent, current flows through the patient to the patient pad. Since the current density is extremely high at the cutting probe, tissue is cut by burning and vaporization.
As tissue is cut, substantial smoke is generated with carbon and debris collecting on the cutting probe and along the cutting path through tissue. The destroyed tissue suffers trauma and healing is prolonged and accompanied by internal scaring. The currents from the generator must always flow from the cutting probe through the patient. Depending on the region of cutting, unwanted currents will flow via the path of least resistance to the patient pad. These currents could flow through sensitive organs, causing irreparable damage. High voltage is essential for the conventional electrosurgical unit to function. This level of energy is hazardous to both patient and surgeon. The precision of cutting by an electrosurgical approach does not compare with a conventional blade because a substantial amount of tissue is actually destroyed during cutting.
With the conventional electrosurgical unit, high voltage is necessary to initiate and maintain a current path from the cutting probe to target tissue, which is a form of ionization at room temperatures and pressure.
Moreover, it is stated in the Internet website whose address is a concateneation of “http://” and “www.usaccc.org/research/Hemostasis.jsp” that “[e]ighty to ninety percent of combat-related deaths occur within 1 hour of wounding. Fifty percent or more are attributable to uncontrolled bleeding. Recent evidence suggests that the majority of deaths due to hemorrhage in potentially survivable casualties involved non-compressible hemorrhages or were areas not conducive to a tourniquet. Currently, there is no ability to control non-compressible hemorrhage in casualties with clotting deficiencies short of immediate surgery.”
Thus, there is a need for an electrosurgical device that overcomes at least one of the aforementioned disadvantages of conventional electrosurgical devices.